The month of December is quite possible “the most wonderful time of the year” in terms of spreading the love, generosity and positive vibrations. In terms of getting one’s workouts in, though. Well, for most people an extremely busy social calendar and the winter blahs make their December fitness track record look a lot less than wonderful.

While it’s easy to understand why you’d be tempted to skip out on your workout in favour of other things, we’ve got a few reasons why you should keep moving and sweating at your regularly scheduled times—even when the eggnog and fireplace are calling your name.

Let There be Light

Ok, we’ll give it to you, when the days get shorter and darker it gets more challenging to get psyched about getting out of bed to fit in some exercise. Even leaving the office just in time to catch the last few moments of daylight can be enough to make you want to drive directly home and hibernate instead of hitting the gym, but this is actually the time of year when you need the positive emotional effects of exercise the most. It may be a drag to get yourself there, but we can pretty much guarantee that you are never going to regret squeezing your workout in. Those endorphins work wonders.

Feeling the burn Helps you feel the calm

Last month’s InStyle magazine shocked us with a statistic indicating that 60 percent of women are willing to skip out on their workouts during the month of December if something comes up. We get it, it’s a busy time. There are cookies to bake, office parties, presents to buy and wrap, school concerts, gatherings by the dozen and, oh yah, quality family time to log, but neglecting your health this time of the year is only going to hinder you further down the line. Schedule your workouts (as in register for all the barre classes you will commit to for the coming week on Sunday), hit them hard for an hour, and you will leave the studio feeling energized and ready to face what ever events you have to take on later in the day.

The Hangover Helper

Let’s be honest about the fact that holiday parties often equate to a less-than-spritely feeling the morning after. It may be awfully tempting to pull the covers over your head and wallow the day away, but (and we may have some first hand knowledge of this) stepping up to the barre can be your saviour. Getting the blood circulating, sweating out the toxins, rehydrating with copious amounts of water and gathering some of those aforementioned endorphins will have you ready to face your holiday to-do list even if you woke up feeling as though you’d been hit by a truck (disguised as vodka).

You ate it, now it’s time to Negate it

Let’s also be honest about the fact that no matter how disciplined you are in the clean eating department a little indulgence is going to happen this month—and it should! We all read the usual blog posts and magazine articles about how we should stick to the vegetables and hummus at the stick with seltzer waters with a twist, but that’s going to result in a pretty boring holiday season. Not that you need our permission, but go ahead and enjoy some of your seasonal favorites. Gingerbread isn’t always available after all. Just be sure to get your regularly scheduled workouts in and you won’t have to deal with any of the guilt or developing a belly complete with a Santa-esque jelly shake come new years. We’ll leave the shaking for our legs during an intense set of plies.

A New Year is upon us, what will you do with it? There is immense pressure on the old “New Year, New You” statement so how about this year you don’t buy into it. Too large a goal can have the same pressure, especially when it comes to fitness. Anything worth having is worth working for and anything worth working for is worth taking the time to set small achievable goals.

After this initial 30 days of commitment you will be on a roll! This challenge is designed to help you maximize your potential one step at a time. Starting to feel it? By conquering a goal early in 2014 you will set a pattern for a year filled with accomplishments and results! Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves by referencing the end of the year but can you feel the energy? We can!

The 30-Day Challenge will begin January 15, 2014. Join the challenge before January 1 and receive special pricing. Join the challenge before January 8 and receive EXCLUSIVE Barre Body Studio ITEMS along with three guest classes to get your friends barre’d or (if you don’t feel like sharing) save the class passes for yourself.

You can sign up with a new package or join by using your current monthly auto-renew membership (no extra cost for monthly members). Sign-up prior to January 1st to receive the early registration price by entering your name in the form on the top of this page.

Let’s get serious we are what we eat. BBS has teamed up with Healthy Funky Foods to help you take your challenge to new heights! Hear from owner Rayna Young January 11, 2014 at 12:30pm and January 12, 2014 at 11:30am about the products and services Healthy Funky Foods provide. Additional options you can choose to include in your 30-day BBS challenge:

3 Day BBS Liver Detox Juice

Cleanse 7 Day BBS Juice Cleanse

10 Day Cleanse and Prepared Meals

30 Day Miracle Package

At Barre Body Studio we have decided to change the rules by not setting one resolution or goal for ourselves but many. All year long let’s choose the road to success by setting goals to propel ourselves forward. Start today! Join the BBS challenge, set your intentions, choose your cleanse or meal program and be a part of an inspiring and motivating community.

2014 is going to be one heck of a year and we can’t wait for you to join us. Anything is possible.

This holiday season we’re dreaming of a fit Christmas full of pliés and cardio blasts. With Santa scheduled to make his appearance soon, we at Barre Body Studio have been busy dreaming up our fitness inspired wish list full of stocking stuffers. This year we’ve made it easy for Santa as most items can be found at the Barre Body Boutique.

BBS HOLIDAY WISH LIST:

Stocking Stuffers:

Keep your hair out of your way with Violet Love Headbands. These headbands are amazing for protecting your beautiful blowout. The bright colours and lively prints of Violet Love will sass up your active look. We're obsessed and hope Santa grabs us one in every colour.

Barre Body classes simply would not be the same without Toesox. Grip socks are a must for class! The tiny grips and 5 toe design of Toesox make it possible to really work the teeny tiny isometric muscle movements. Santa, our feet work hard all year and have been really good, make sure they’re on the nice list.

Let’s be honest, music can make a workout! We are music lovers who are always searching for new music to inspire and power our workouts. For the Barre Body addict an iTunes gift card is always a hit.

For your Best Fit Friend:

BBS Tanks, the holidays are about LOVE. Shout your love with a BBS Tank. The soft cotton and gentle flow of our BBS tanks makes them a comfortable workout staple.

W8Fit Wrist Cuffs are a BBS favourite! The soft, breathable fabric of the wrist cuffs makes them comfy to wear. Each W8Fit comes with weights and extra pockets so you can adjust the weight or stash your keys/cash. An added perk of W8fit is that they are easy to pack and a great way to turn everyday activities into a resistance challenge.

Bkr Water Bottles are a clean and a classy way to stay hydrated! The glass water bottle is a good for you; good for the planet alternative to plastic water bottles. At Barre Body Studio we love making a fashion statement with our colourful and ecofriendly bkr.

Fits Under the Tree:

Lole Lively Capri, a workout pant that is ready for action 24/7 and a BBS favourite. These workout pants feature a mesh lining for extra support. We love the functionality, breathability and fit of the Lole Lively Capri.

Splits59 Nova Capri Tights are sleek and comfortable. The tight fit of the workout pant is perfect for Barre Body because it allows you to check your alignment to focus on muscle engagement. This in turn helps you dial up your workout. The classic style of the Nova Capri Legging makes the pant versatile and easy to wear après barre. For an après barre look we like to style up the capri with a big sweater and knee high boots.

Poppy Barley Boots (or flats) are custom made footware that is as unique as you are. The company was founded by Kendall and Jusitine Barber (two strong Alberta women) who were frustrated by the pains of ill fitting footwear. Poppy Barley is fashional footwear that is both functional and comfortable. What's unique about Poppy Barley is that every pair of shoes or boots is made to measure, special and just for you. We have fallen maddly in love with Poppy Barley boots and flats. We're crossing our fingers that Sanata will submit our measurments for a custom pair of boots (and balet flats).

Before we discovered the Splits 59 Loren Seamless Bra we use to believe that a comfortable sports bra was an old wife’s tale. The Splits59 Loren Seamless Bra is possibly the most comfortable sports bra ever made. The soft fabric and seamless technology of the bra makes it ideal for low the low impact exercises of Barre Body. We love the barely there feel of the Loren Seamless Bra, (if only all bras were so comfortable).

For Santa:

The body runs best when it is fueled with real foods, rich in nutrients. This holiday season instead of milk and cookies we’re leaving Santa a gift card to Healthy Funky Foods. Healthy Funky foods, located in the Crossroads Market (just a couple blocks away from Barre Body Studio), is an organic and raw café that serves real and good for you foods.

Fingers crossed that Santa will see our wish list and power walk his way to the studio.

At Barre Body Studio if we had to decide between two options; the easy road vs. the stairs, we would choose the stairs without hesitation. Challenges in life provide opportunities to grow as a person and results in a priceless sense of accomplishment. It feels good to tackle a challenge with confidence; it feels great to show the challenge whose boss and to be surprised by your own strength.

In celebration of personal strength, we invite you to take the 30-day Barre Body Studio challenge with us. The 30-day Barre Body Studio challenge is your chance to fall back into fitness and to be a part of an interactive and engaged community who are determined to make positive changes.

It’s time to get serious. Sign up before Sunday, September 29th and get a FREE Barre Body Studio Tank along with three guest classes to get your friends barre’d or (if you don’t feel like sharing) save the class passes for yourself.

The rewards of a fit and healthy life transcend into other aspect of our lives. Through fitness you will discover increased energy and confidence. We dare you to commit to the 30-day Barre Body Studio Challenge. We dare you to set new goals and to push your boundaries. We believe you will succeed and we look forward to celebrating your success with you. We truly believe that you can enrich your life through fitness.

(And, just to keep it interesting we have a great assortment of goodies to give away to the 30-day challengers.)

Fall is a season synonymous with new beginnings. At Barre Body Studio we believe that autumn is the perfect season to re-commit to your fitness and health routine. At BBS we are constantly working on new ways (and moves) to keep our classes fresh and our bodies challenged.

This fall we are excited to slowly introduce wrist weights into our Barre Body Fit class routines (on a class by class basis). We have chosen to incorporate wrist weights into our classes because we love how effective wrist weights are for increasing the resistance and intensity of any given exercise. The science behind wrist weights fits with our vision.

In a typical BBS class calories are burnt based on:

The resistance of an exercise

The duration of an exercise

The intensity of an exercise

The added weight of wearing wrist weights increases the resistance challenge of an exercise; the added challenge forces the body to work harder. As a result wrist weights help the body to build more lean muscle mass, which also revs up our bodies to burn more calories. We believe that Barre Body with wrist weights is an effective way to increase the intensity of our classes. We love Barre Body with wrist weights and are confident that you will too!

(Remember: Muscle strength equates to a faster metabolism which means that you will burn more calories per working out).

Wrist weights are available for sale at the BBS Boutique. If you would like to purchase your own pair stop by the studio ($30/pair with 1/2lb weight per cuff).

At Barre Body Studio we talk about the core A LOT! When we talk about The Core, we are not referring to the downtown YYC shopping center. Instead we are referring to the group of muscles with in our bodies that promote full body strength, energy and power. We are talking about the muscles the help prevent injuries and that help to improve posture. We talk about the core muscles a lot because we think they are a big deal. (Did you know a strong core can make you look taller?).

In modern day fitness, core training has become synonymous with abdominals conditioning. However in truth the core is a much bigger grouping of muscles than just the abdominals. The core is a group of muscles that aids in muscle and joint stability. The job of the “core” muscles is to aid in internal body functions as well as to assist the body in the physical acts of heavy lifting and pushing. The core is the muscle group that supports the back, spine and shoulders. Core strength helps prevent injuries and increases balance.

The core muscles are way more than just the “abs”. Anatomically, the core muscle group begins just below the arm pit and runs down to the top of the lower torso. Basically the core is everything but the arms, legs and head. The core group of muscle includes:

The Gluteus Muscle Group (gluteus medius, minimus, and maximus and hamstring muscles).

The strength and power of our body is fired up by the core muscles. When the trunk, pelvis and torso of the body are strong and stable; power from the core is transferred to other muscles groups outside of the core. When the core is strong, the body is strong. The benefits of core training are esthetic (improved posture combined with flat abs), functional (improved balance, strength and mobility) and mental (increased self-confidence and body confidence). A Barre Body strong core will help you run faster, cycle stronger and ski longer.

At Barre Body studio some of our favourite core exercises are:

Barre Body Mountain Climber: This engages the entire trunk of the body to stay balanced. When we bring our knees to meet our chest we engage the front, side and back oblique muscles as well as the hip flexors.

Barre Body Pelvic Tucks: This move engages the pelvic floor, traverse abs and the glutes. The glutes work to support the body while the pelvic muscle contracts and releases.

Barre Body Standing Oblique Knee Crunches: This engages the obliques, the hip abductor, the glutes, the hamstrings and the rectus abdominals. As we crunch our knee to our elbow we are focusing on the exterior oblique crunch. To perform the move the entire core has to fire up in order to maintain muscle balance.

If you want to try more of our favourite core moves, meet us at the Barre.

If you have been to class, you probably recognize Isometric Exercise as, "... and hold."

Isometric Exercise occurs when the joint angle and muscle length don't change. Basically, hold, don't move and feel the burn! At Barre Body Studio we have developed our classes around the principles of isometric exercise.

Isometrics and "pulses" allow the muscles of our body to contract to their deepest point. Research has shown that because of the reduced blood flow during prolonged muscle tension, numerous growth factors remain in the muscle tissue longer and actually stimulate muscle growth. When you work in isometric motions you not only blast calories but also build strength. By focusing on "teeny-tiny movements," you rev up those smaller muscles, (which act to support the larger muscle groups).

At Barre Body Studio we pulse and hold because it works to exhaust and engage both the accessory muscles as well as the larger muscles. We credit the "Pulse and Hold" for the barre results we love. You know: defining that long, lean and more toned look.

Oh, and the shaking? Well, that's your larger muscles being pushed to their limits! The shake is where change happens; the smaller muscles kick in to help the larger muscles balance. So the next time you hear "... and hold," know that you are sculpting a stronger, leaner you!